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East River State Park

Photo credit: Troy Farmer

Until the mid-1900s the Eastern District Terminal in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was a major rail-to-barge shipping facility, mainly for sugar from a nearby refinery. Abandoned for decades, the site fell into disrepair and was abandoned. Meanwhile, due to growth pressure in Manhattan, the Williamsburg and nearby Greenpoint neighborhoods swelled with new residents. In the 1990s, neighbors organized to successfully oppose the construction of a major new waste-transfer station on the property. With the support of local and state politicians, TPL negotiated with the landowner and acquired two blocks (six acres) to create East River State Park—the core of a future seven-block park along the East River waterfront. The land's protection has inspired a major rezoning that will bring residential and park development to the entire 1.7 miles of riverfront in these growing neighborhoods.

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Working from more than 30 offices nationwide, The Trust for Public Land helps communities raise funds, conduct research and planning, acquire and protect land, and design and renovate parks, playgrounds, trails, and gardens.